This invention relates to flexible diaphragms for enclosing the space between adjoining ends of two railroad cars so as to provide a passageway between the cars being mated.
In the past, the need has been identified to encompass the space between adjacent railroad cars to permit the convenient movement of passengers therebetween. Prior art approaches to fulfill such need are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,632 to Dean and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,226 to Krupp. According to such prior art disclosures, diaphragms are attached to the ends of adjacent cars and then the diaphragms are mated to each other to protect the space between adjacent railroad cars from the weather and noise while permitting the convenient movement of passengers therethrough. Such prior art approaches have traditionally entailed the usage of large, expensive structures with walls of solid resilient material coated with a sealing elastomer and contoured to permit expansion, contraction and torsional movement of the diaphragms with respect to each other and with respect to the cars during movement of the train. Such prior approaches were neither adequately efficient nor economical for their intended purpose.
Such prior art approaches to the problem were characterized by high initial cost of construction as well as high costs for refurbishment. The turn-around time for refurbishment was consistently too lengthy, with the cost and labor to replace such a diaphragm being excessive. Further, the prior art constructions required replacement of the entire diaphragm in the event of significant damage to any part thereof.